HDR de Elena Avignone

"Role des microglies en pathologie et physiologie"

Role des microglies en pathologie et physiologie

Le 13 décembre 2016

Since 2005, my research activity my research activity aimed to understand how microglial mutually interact with neurons. I approached this questions investigated microglia properties and the mechanisms regulating microglia-neurons interaction in pathological and physiological conditions using several complementary experimental methods, including electrophysiology and imaging. Microglail cells, the resident macrophage of CNS, sense local biochemical changes, and they move their processes to probe their environment. Following exposure to a variety of stimuli they become activated, a multifaceted process which includes several functional changes and depends on the stimulatory contexts.
Beside their role in pathology they play important roles in physiology, in particularly during development. My work contributed to better define the concept of activation. We published the first functional characterization of these cells after a status epilepticus, and then I described how the activation process affect microglial motility. Recently, I published how the dynamics of microglia change its dynamics and its interaction after induction of plasticity.